Without Guilt or Defensiveness

Today, take a few minutes and read through this passage out loud a couple of times. When you do so, do your best to be aware of your shadow side - typically guilt on one side and defensiveness on the other - that could distract you from really hearing from the Lord. Lay those down and just listen for the words of Jesus. Then reflect:

Where is this passage encouraging and hopeful for you?

Where is this passage challenging for you and scary?

Out of what he’s saying to you from this passage, what might it look like for you to respond today to Jesus?

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”